Wonder Woman #188
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeWonder Woman #188 sits near the heart of one of the most debated creative experiments in DC history — the 'mod era' or 'Diana Prince years' — in which Diana operated entirely without her powers, costume, or Amazonian heritage, functioning instead as a martial-arts-trained secret agent in the style of Emma Peel from The Avengers. This issue delivers the dramatic payoff of the multi-part Dr. Cyber arc, culminating in a confrontation where Cyber forces Diana to behold her villain's scarred face before Diana ultimately defeats her — a darkly personal climax unusual for mainstream superhero comics of the era. The story also closes out the Hong Kong 'Earthquaker' saga begun in the preceding issue and sets recurring antagonist Lu Shan on her path of vengeance, seeding ongoing plot threads that would sustain the title through its remaining mod-era issues. The issue is part of a run (roughly #178–204) that provoked a genuine feminist cultural debate, eventually drawing the attention of Gloria Steinem, whose public criticism of Diana's depowered status contributed directly to DC restoring her powers and classic costume.
In "Cyber's Revenge!", Wonder Woman and Patrick race to stop Dr. Cyber’s Earthquaker machines from destroying Hong Kong, only to be captured by the vengeful scientist who blames Diana for her disfigurement. As the stakes rise, Diana discovers that I-Ching has vanished from the hospital, heading into mainland China to track down Lu Shan. Written by Mike Sekowsky and illustrated by Mike Sekowsky, with inks by Dick Giordano and letters by Charlotte Jetter, this 1970 issue features cover art by Sekowsky and Giordano.
In "Cyber's Revenge!", Wonder Woman teams up with Patrick McGuire to stop Dr. Cyber’s Earthquaker machines from devastating Hong Kong, but the villain captures them both—revealing a personal vendetta rooted in a past accident that scarred her face. As Diana confronts the enemy’s twisted motives, she’s left reeling when news arrives that I-Ching has vanished, chasing Lu Shan deep into mainland China.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The depowered Diana Prince era was the brainchild of artist and editor Mike Sekowsky, who felt the existing Wonder Woman concept was too remote from contemporary readers' lives and conceived a new direction built around mod fashion, hand-to-hand combat, and espionage. Denny O'Neil scripted the early issues of the run, while Sekowsky took over as writer-editor, and both men genuinely believed that showing Diana succeed through skill rather than superpower would resonate with the women's liberation movement — an intention that O'Neil later conceded backfired in public perception. By issue #188, Sekowsky was handling the triple role of writer, editor, and cover artist, with interior art contributions from John Costanza on letters and Dick Giordano on inks, keeping the run's signature clean, action-driven visual style intact.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: May/June 1970 (on sale approximately May 10, 1970); part of DC's Volume 1 Wonder Woman series, which began in 1942.
- Writer and editor: Mike Sekowsky; interior artists: Mike Sekowsky (pencils), Dick Giordano (inks), John Costanza (letters); cover art by Sekowsky and Giordano.
- Main story title: 'Cyber's Revenge!' — the direct sequel to #187's 'Earthquaker!' arc, set primarily in Hong Kong.
- Story climax: Dr. Cyber, attempting world blackmail via seismic 'Earthquaker' devices, is defeated when Diana knocks her into a high-voltage wire; Cyber is apparently electrocuted and the final Earthquaker destroyed.
- Villain spotlight: Dr. Cyber — one of the signature antagonists of the mod era — is central to this issue; her disfigured face is dramatically revealed to Diana in a scene of psychological menace.
- Supporting cast in play: I-Ching (in cameo, hospitalized), Lu Shan (I-Ching's daughter and Cyber's lieutenant), Patrick McGuire, and Inspector David McLean of the Hong Kong police.
- Secondary story: 'Crime Does Not Pay!' — a backup strip in which civilian Diana Prince stops a pickpocket named 'Creepy Caniguh' while shopping, illustrating the street-level, grounded tone Sekowsky sought for the era.
- Both stories in this issue were later reprinted in the Diana Prince: Wonder Woman trade paperback collection, part of DC's early 2000s effort to preserve and reassess the mod era.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Marvila, la Mujer Maravilla #183 (1970), Aventures Fiction #45 (1975), Super Adventure Album #11 (1979), Diana Prince: Wonder Woman #2 (2008), Wonder Woman: Diana Prince: Celebrating the '60s Omnibus #[nn] (2019)
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